


The night goes on (as I'm fading away)

by fadingcastiel



Category: Harper's Island
Genre: Attachment Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Delusional Disorder, F/M, Mental Disorders, Murder, News Media, Obsessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Serial Killers, Suicide, TV News
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2014-03-23
Packaged: 2018-01-16 19:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1358731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadingcastiel/pseuds/fadingcastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Immediately after the rescue of the survivors and the deaths of the killers, FBI agents went to work on solving the case of Harper's Island.  Many bodies were found, and forensic specialists and morticians were solving the puzzle piece by piece.  But there are some aspects that were left unknown.</p><p>Two weeks later, the four survivors--Abby Mills, Jimmy Mance, Shea Allen, and Madison Allen--are willing to tell their story, and KCPQ Seattle news is the one who brings it to you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The night goes on (as I'm fading away)

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd.

_I ~~open my eyes, I try to see but I’m blinded by the white light. I can’t remember how—I can’t remember why—I’m lying here tonight. And I can’t stand the pain. And I can’t make it go away. No I can’t stand the pain~~._

 

~~_Everybody’s screaming; I try to make a sound but no one hears me. I’m slipping off the edge—I’m hanging by a thread—I wanna start this over again. So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered. And I can’t explain what happened. And I can’t erase the things that I’ve done. No I can’t_ ~~ _._

 

~~_How could this happen to me? I’ve made my mistakes. I’ve got nowhere to run. The night goes on as I’m fading away. I’m sick of this life. I just wanna scream. How could this happen to me?_ ~~

 

~~~

 

_[cuts from commercial to KCPQ news station]_

 

CRUSE: We are back from our commercial break to talk about one of the most upsetting events to ever happen near Seattle: the tragedy of Harper’s Island. I’m Marni Cruse.

 

BROSE: And I’m David Brose. Two unconditionally gruesome murderers devastated Harper’s Island, killing an estimate of 29 people two weeks ago about 37 miles off the Washington coast. It was meant to be a week for a wedding—the bride and the groom bringing their wedding party to the isle. Instead, what was supposed to be an exciting event turned into an absolute nightmare.

 

CRUSE: The entire story has now been unearthed by the four— _only_ —survivors: Abby Mills, Jimmy Mance, Shea Allen, and Madison Allen.

 

BROSE: Seven years ago, a serial killer named John Wakefield murdered six people on Harper’s Island. It had been claimed that the sheriff of the island had shot and killed Wakefield in self-defense. However, that was not the case because two weeks ago Wakefield stepped foot back on the same island. Though he wasn’t done killing; he had only just begun. And this time he had an accomplice: his biological son, and the groom of the wedding, Henry Dunn.

 

CRUSE: Henry Dunn was to marry the girl of his dreams, Patricia Wellington. He spent his summers throughout his youth on Harper’s Island, working as a boat boy. He met Wellington while he was cleaning her family’s boat, and the pair dated for nearly a decade before finally decided to be wed. Why not celebrate the occasion on the glorious Harper’s Island, where they stole one another’s hearts?

 

BROSE: They brought along their bridesmaids—Shea Allen, Beth Barrington, Chloe Carter, and Lucy Daramour—and they brought along their groomsmen—Joel Booth, Danny Brooks, Malcolm Ross, and Christopher Sullivan. They brought along their family too, including Richard Allen, J.D. Dunn, Marty Dunn, Katherine Wellington, Madison Wellington, and Thomas Wellington, and of course, they had their guests of honor—Abby Mills and Cal Vandeusen. Over 80% of the group listed above was killed at some point along the trip.

 

CRUSE: Unfortunately, some locals to the island were caught in the mix as well. The island was evacuated as soon as it became clear that there was a serial killer on the loose, but some islanders weren’t that lucky. Residents such as Nikki Bolton, Reverend Fain, Deputy Garret, Maggie Krell, Deputy Patrick Lillis, Sheriff Charlie Mills, Shane Pierce, and Kelly Seaver were caught in the crossfire and killed.

 

BROSE: On top of that, two Washington state police had been sent to the island to collect the prime suspect of the murders at the time, Henry Dunn’s brother J.D. Dunn. Officer Tyra Coulter and Officer Darryl Riggens’ were killed as well.

 

CRUSE: What could spark such shocking and upsetting actions? How could anybody be so cruel that they would murder their own friends and family to get what they want? How did someone as sweet as Henry Dunn turn into a cold-blooded killer?

 

BROSE: The bodies of Richard Allen, Beth Barrington, Nikki Bolton, Danny Brooks, Chloe Carter, Tyra Coulter, Henry Dunn, J.D. Dunn, Marty Dunn, Reverend Fain, Maggie Krell, Charlie Mills, Shane Pierce, Darryl Riggens, Malcolm Ross, Kelly Seaver, Cal Vandeusen, Katherine Wellington, and Thomas Wellington were recovered on the island. Richard Allen was the brother-in-law to the bride, wife to Shea Allen and father to Madison Allen. His body was found by the FBI on the ocean shoreline. Allen had been harpooned, essentially killing him, before being tied to a tree—on display—with the harpoon still through his chest.

 

CRUSE: Beth Barrington had been asked to be a bridesmaid for Wellington’s wedding. Mills claimed that Brooks and Sullivan had found Barrington's body in the tunnels under the Candlewick Hotel where the wedding party was staying. Barrington's body was cut in half and separated, and after directions from Mills and some more extensive searching, FBI was able to recover her entire body.

 

BROSE: Nikki Bolton's body was found at the bar she tended at, the Cannery. She had been stabbed through the middle with a sharp, long object that Mills later specified to be a boarding knife, commonly used by Wakefield during this excursion. Bolton was a local resident to Harper’s Island and according to Shea Allen, died trying to protect the rest of them.

 

CRUSE: Officer Tyra Coulter and Officer Darryl Riggens' bodies were found in the water near the docks of the Harper's Island marina. They were state police sent to collect J.D. Dunn, framed for the murders at the time, but were each shot in the chest. They died immediately. There will be a salute alter set up at Washington’s State Police Center to memorialize the two fallen officers.

 

BROSE: Marty Dunn was a surrogate father to the groom, Henry Dunn. His body was found chopped in half and strung up in a tree, nearly identical to the six people Wakefield murdered 7 years ago. The lack of blood at the crime scene shows that he was killed elsewhere before being strung up on display. Dunn’s post-mortem in comparison to the other bodies founded suggests that he was one of the first, if not the first, to die during this killing spree.

 

CRUSE: The Reverend's body was found in the morgue alongside the bodies of J.D. Dunn, Kelly Seaver, and Thomas Wellington. His body had been chopped up and strung together. Post-mortem shows that Fain had been soaking in ocean water days before he was founded. Mills says that the Reverend had been missing for days before the Sheriff found his body.

 

BROSE: Maggie Krell was the owner of the Candlewick Hotel, the hotel the wedding guests had been residing in. Her body was found hanging outside a window of the Cannery Bar. Allen states that Krell didn't want to believe the killer was after her too and essentially left the safe house. Wakefield—in essence—kidnapped her, and hung her body in front of the remaining survivors to frighten them. Mills believes it was a scare tactic—a way to tell the group they had no chance at evading death.

CRUSE: Shane Pierce's body was found alongside Nikki Bolton's at the cannery. He was a local to the island, and was stabbed twice with Wakefield's boarding knife, post-mortem proving that the initial stab had not killed him. Allen states that her sister, Trish Wellington, was being pursued by Wakefield when Pierce distracted him long enough for Wellington and the others to abandon the scene. Mills said that she, alongside Danny Brooks and Henry Dunn, found Pierce’s body. Wakefield had placed it in on spectacle—a common reoccurrence founded—and the three had respectfully placed his body next to Bolton’s before covering them both up.

 

BROSE: Malcolm Ross' bones were found in the trash incinerator in the basement of the Candlewick Hotel. Allen had tipped the police that they had discovered a handprint seared into the metal before Vandeusen found a skull in the fire pit. Forensic specialists were able to identify him using past dental records. He had been chopped up to bits, that in which killing him, before being consumed by the fire.

 

CRUSE: Kelly Seaver, as stated previously, was founded in the Harper's Island morgue. FBI agents on the scene found Dr. Ike Campbell's post-mortem report on her. After having their own morticians double-check, it's been proven that Kelly was forcefully hung, and had ink injected into her eyes. Seaver’s mother had also been killed in the original Wakefield murder excursion. Mills says that Seaver had come to her the morning of her death day claiming Wakefield had been stalking her.

 

BROSE: Katherine Wellington was the stepmother to Patricia Wellington, the bride. Her body had been found in the Candlewick by FBI agents. She had been sleeping when she was stabbed in the back with pruning sheers. Fingerprint analysis on the sheers shows that Henry Dunn was the one to murder her. According to the forensic specialists studying the other crime scenes, Wakefield and Dunn had left no traceable evidence to the murders. The fact that there were fingerprints at Mrs. Wellington’s death scene states that Dunn must have been in a hurry to get rid of her.

 

CRUSE: These next 7 deaths were witnessed by Abby Mills herself, and she has some things to say on them.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: The first death almost all of us saw together was Thomas Wellington's, Trish's father. It was during the wedding rehearsal. He had come up to light the unity candle when a trigger wire to the light switch released a head spade down onto him. He was practically split in two. I almost couldn't believe someone could bleed that much.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: It was claimed by both Mills and Allen that this was the first death anyone had witnessed, to their knowledge, and at that point in time they knew something was wrong. Wellington’s body was found in the island’s morgue. The head spade created a clean break vertically through the entirety of his skull. Images of Wellington’s post-mortem body will not be shown to the press.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

 

ALLEN: (on her father’s death) It was a mix of paranoia and depression. Half of us couldn't sleep from fear, and the rest of us cried for a day straight. We knew it wasn't an accident, and it was terrifying.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: We were all about to get on a boat and leave the island when Shea told us her daughter, Madison, was missing. After Cal volunteered to help look for her, we all sort of pitched in. On the search, Henry, Katherine, and I found the body of Richard Allen. We then got a phone call from Madison saying that if anyone left the island, she would die.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

ALLEN: My daughter had been kidnapped, being held god only knew where, and was being used for blackmail. But the worst part was that some people actually tried to leave anyway. Sully, Beth, and Chloe had all gotten on a boat until Cal talked them out of it. And I don’t blame them now, it was in a moment of fear, but all I could think of was my daughter’s safety. It hurt too much.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: The phone lines were down, the electricity was cut, the police station’s radio was destroyed… Nobody from the mainland would notice if they didn’t hear from us for a couple of days. We were utterly screwed. We felt completely hopeless, being picked off one by one.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: The next death Mills witnessed was of her best friend Henry’s little brother, J.D. Dunn.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: I found him behind some barrels on the dock of the marina... and he was bleeding, um, rather profusely from his stomach.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: The morticians who recovered Dunn's body from the Harper's Island morgue confirm that he was indeed killed from an abdominal wound. The wound had been caused by a knife, though post-mortem declared that he had died a slower death, by a combination of the knife nicking an organ and Dunn bleeding out. In opposition to this tragedy, Mills became a hero to the remaining wedding guests.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: We were in the tunnels under the Candlewick looking for Beth, and while I was searching, I came across Madison. It’s kind of a blur, but we found a storm drain and it was incredibly lucky Shea happened to be looking in the mirror and saw Madison waving.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

CRUSE: Once the group tried to escape again, all the boats at the marina were blown up and shots were fired at the survivors.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: Jimmy was on the boat when the explosion went off. I thought he was dead.

 

_[cuts to Mance interview]_

MANCE: My best friend Shane was able to warn me right before the explosion went off. As a full-time fisherman, my reflexes are better than anything, really. I somehow managed to jump far enough away from the boat and underwater without getting too hurt.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ new anchors]_

 

BROSE: Aside from being scraped up, burned, and unconscious, Mance was returned safe and alive to the rest of the survivors. When Mills next spoke to her father, he said he made a deal with the one and only John Wakefield to keep Mance alive. He knew how much Mance meant to Abby. Mills didn’t believe her father when he told her Wakefield was alive. Unfortunately, after that, Mills had to endure her own father’s death too.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: It was scary because Wakefield had put into play this plan that framed my father for the killings until he was ready to show himself. Before my dad died, we were arguing about it. He told me Wakefield was alive… And he told me he loved me... And the next think I knew he was being dragged out the window. When I ran outside, I found his body hanging by the neck, the same way my mom was killed. And then Wakefield confronted me.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: Seven years ago, John Wakefield was responsible for six murders on the island, one of which being Abby's mother.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: He killed both my parents. And I wanted him dead.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: According to Mills, Henry Dunn and Danny Brooks had caught up to her before she could chase Wakefield down.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: We headed back to the Cannery, our current stakeout, to meet up with the others. When we got there, the door was broken in, some windows had been shattered, and we found Shane and Nikki's bodies. No one else was there.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

 

ALLEN: We were in Sheriff Mills' attack. Trish, Chloe, my daughter Madison, and I were all hiding out in the attic after Wakefield attacked us at the Cannery. Nikki and Shane had distracted Wakefield long enough for the rest of us to escape. Eventually we heard the church bell ring, and Trish and Chloe went to investigate while I stayed with Madison.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: Mills, Dunn, and Brooks heard the same bell and met up with Wellington and Carter. According to Mills, Deputy Patrick Lillis was lying in one of the pews with his throat slit open. With Lillis’ car being parked out front, the group assumed he was the one ringing the church bell for help. Before long, Sullivan and Vandeusen had joined up with the group.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: After Wakefield blew up the boats at the marina, Sully and Cal had gone to try and find the sailboat that Cal had rented, which was docked on the other side of the island. Cal had gotten shot in the shoulder, and by the time they got to the private harbor, the boat was gone. As we reunited, Cal then realized Chloe was missing.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: FBI agents found maps in Sheriff Mills' attic, showing underground tunnels connecting the hotel, the church, and a storm drain. It was believed that was how Wakefield was getting around unnoticed. FBI then found proof that the survivors had tried to blockade the exits so Wakefield wouldn't escape.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: It's true; we did attempt to do that. We had Sully and Danny go to the Candlewick to block off the exit there, Trish and Jimmy went to the storm drain me and Madison had escaped from to block that off, and since we were all already at the church we blocked off that exit too. There was one more exit none of us knew of so Henry, Cal, and I went into the tunnels to find it. We assumed Wakefield and-or Chloe would be there.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: As they found the exit, Mills said they were faced by Wakefield. Mills tried to shoot him but missed. Dunn told Vandeusen to find Carter and get her safe while he and Mills pursued Wakefield. Mills claims Vandeusen then immediately ran off to find Carter, and she witnessed their deaths only a few minutes later.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: They were so in love. It was horrible.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

BROSE: With help from Mills, we were able to track and locate the bodies of Carter and Vandeusen. They were found ways away from the bridge, caught by a few larger rocks in the river before they could reach the ocean.

 

CRUSE: When Carter and Vandeusen’s bodies were identified, it was discovered that Carter was wearing an engagement ring. Mills claims she knew they weren't engaged before reaching the island. According to her, “Vandeusen could have popped the question days or minutes before their demise.”

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: Henry and I were on the side of the gorge watching it happen. We had lost track of Wakefield and when we heard two separate gunshots, we immediately ran towards the sound. I don’t know the whole story, but we witnessed enough of it. I saw Cal try to shoot at Wakefield again but it seemed as if the gun was out of bullets because next thing we knew, Cal and Chloe were running onto the bridge that crossed above the river. It was the only place they could go, Wakefield had them cornered. All I could hear was screaming. There was a gate in the middle of the bridge appearing to be locked, and I watched Cal sacrifice himself in hopes of Chloe being able to climb over. Cal went at Wakefield with his gun, but Wakefield easily defended the attack and through the gun into the river. The screaming was continuing and I could see was Cal struggling after he went at Wakefield again, this time defenseless… Until Wakefield stabbed him in the chest with his boarding knife. Then he picked up Cal and threw him off the bridge into the river below. Chloe looked at Cal's body in the river and then just... let go. Killed herself. It was all getting to be too much. I couldn’t deal with these deaths anymore.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: Their bodies were covered in severe bruises and nearly every bone in each of their bodies was broken. They were also found with clusters of cuts created by rocks and branches in the river. FBI claims that the stab wound to Vandeusen's chest did not initially kill him, but the fall's impact was what finished him off. They also stated that Carter did in fact die from the fall's impact as well, Mills confirming the suicide. The crime scene and post-mortem images of Vandeusen and Carter’s bodies will not be released to the press.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: After that, we managed to trick Wakefield by getting him out into the open and capturing him. My friends wanted me to kill him, but I couldn't find it in me. I needed answers.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

 

ALLEN: The group came back to get my daughter and I after they locked Wakefield up at the police station.   We were all starting to get paranoid about the fact that Wakefield most likely had an accomplice. While in the Sheriff's attic, we found some police files on Jimmy and suspected it was him who was helping Wakefield. Our suspicious were pushed further when he came to the station claiming Trish had fallen at the bluffs while these were blocking the storm drain exit, and that he needed help rescuing her.

 

_[cuts to Mance interview]_

 

MANCE: At that point, they all thought I was the bad guy. They all thought I had pushed her off the bluffs. Henry was ready to kill me. He and Sully almost did, until Trish appeared at the top of the bluffs safe and unharmed. Except for the fact she was all wet. She told them it was her fault she fell. It was a good thing she did though, because she had found a boathouse with a working radio. It was like a big fat “HA” in Wakefield’s face.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: Mills says Sullivan had gotten the radio to work and was the first to speak to the coast guard before passing it on to Wellington. The message had been recorded by the Coast Guard:

 

_[cuts to black; recording plays]_

 

_SULLIVAN: This is Harper's Island, please come in._

 

_COAST GUARD: This is U.S. Coast Guard, Post of Seattle. Person in distress, give us your location. Over._

 

_WELLINGTON: This is Trish Wellington calling from Harper's Island. We need help._

 

_COAST GUARD: Roger that, Harper's Island. What's the emergency? Over._

 

_WELLINGTON: There's a murderer here—John Wakefield. He's killed people—dozens. My father, the sheriff. Look, we've caught him, but now we're stuck here and we need to get off the island._

 

_COAST GUARD: We're with you, Harper's Island. Sit tight. Police and rescue teams are on their way._

 

_WELLINGTON: How long do you think that'll be?_

 

_COAST GUARD: We've got weather over here, but we'll do everything possible. Four hours at the most. Stay by the radio so we can reach you._

 

_WELLINGTON: Roger that._

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: Sully stayed at the radio like the coast guard had suggested. Henry and Trish went over to the Candlewick to get her some dry clothes while Jimmy and I went back to the station to let the others know help was coming.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: Meanwhile, over at the police station where Allen, her daughter, and Brooks were camped out, Wakefield had somehow gotten the key to the cell and escaped.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

 

ALLEN: Danny, he, uh... he fought off Wakefield so my daughter and I could escape. He was a real hero.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: The FBI found Danny's body at the police station. He had been impaled through the right eye with a memo holder. Meanwhile, Allen and her daughter ran off into the woods to try and find the others.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

ALLEN: There was no way Wakefield could’ve escaped unless someone had slipped him the key. Absolutely no way. That was our confirmation—there _had_ to be an accomplice.

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: We ran into Shea and Madison in the woods. They told us about Danny’s most likely demise and that Wakefield had escaped. I sent them towards the boathouse where Sully was to tell the coast guard that we needed their help immediately.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

ALLEN: We found the boathouse and Sully inside. We told him Wakefield escaped and Danny was most likely dead. And then the panic started all over again.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ anchors]_

BROSE: Here is the recorded communication message between Harper’s Island and the Coast Guard Allen confirmed was the one Sullivan put out after she delivered the news to him:

 

_[cuts to black; recording plays]_

 

_SULLIVAN: Hey, whoever’s out there, come in. This is Harpers Island. Over._

_COAST GUARD: This is Coast Guard dispatch. Go ahead, Harper’s Island._

_SULLIVAN: Yeah, the guy we captured—Wakefield—he’s out. You hear me? He’s escaped. We need everything you got and we need it right now. How close are you guys?_

_(Static crackling)_

_SULLIVAN: Did you get that? Come in._

_COAST GUARD: Copy that, Harper’s Island. We’re still fighting weather here. Chopper’s waiting for clearance._

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

ALLEN: I remember after that conversation Sully had noticed the boat hanging from the ceiling of the boathouse. He got it down and had me and Madison get into the boat to head towards the mainland. He said he couldn’t come with us; he needed to find and help his friends.

 

_[cuts to black; recording plays]_

_SULLIVAN: This is Harper’s Island. Come in, Coast Guard._

_COAST GUARD: This is San Juan Sector 324. Go ahead, Harper’s Island._

_SULLIVAN: Yeah, I think I talked to you before. This is Chris Sullivan._

_COAST GUARD: That’s correct, Chris. Over._

_SULLIVAN: Yeah, well, listen, there is a small boat coming your way, heading east. Shea Allen and her daughter Madison are on it. You guys got to pick ‘em up._

_COAST GUARD: Roger that, Chris. Small craft with two people heading east off of Harper’s Island. Over._

_SULLIVAN: Yeah, roger, whatever. When the hell are you guys getting here?_

_COAST GUARD: I’ll get back to you in a second with an ETA. Over._

_SULLIVAN: Yeah, thanks._

_(estimated 20 seconds later)_

_COAST GUARD: This is San Juan Sector 324. Are you there, Chris? Over._

_SULLIVAN: Yeah, I’m here with Henry Dunn._

_COAST GUARD: A Coast Guard chopper should be there in 45. Cutter’s on its way, too. Over._

_SULLIVAN: Okay, 45. We got it._

_COAST GUARD: Roger that, Chris. The chopper will set down at the marina. Can you and Henry get there? Over._

_SULLIVAN: The marina. Yeah, you got it._

_COAST GUARD: Hang in there, Chris. We’re on our way. Over._

_SULLIVAN: Hey, thanks, man. I appreciate it._

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: We stumbled across Trish in the woods as we were heading to the Candlewick to alert her and Henry about Wakefield. She was lying there, dead, in her wedding dress.

 

_[cuts to Mance interview]_

 

MANCE: She was gone, but she was still warm so she had to have been killed recently. We couldn’t do anything about it, so we did the only thing we could think to do—go back to the boathouse.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: When we got there, Sully was gone and so was the motor boat from the ceiling.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

CRUSE: Here is the recorded conversation Mance and Mills had with the US Coast Guard:

 

_[cuts to black; message plays]_

 

_MANCE: Coast Guard, this is Harper’s Island. Come in._

_COAST GUARD: This is San Juan Sector 324. Over._

_MANCE: This is Jimmy Mance and Abby Mills. Where the hell are you guys?_

_COAST GUARD: Chopper’s on its way. Less than 40 minutes out. You need to meet your friends at the rally point. Over._

_MILLS: Friends?_

_COAST GUARD: Chris Sullivan and Henry Dunn. They were instructed to go to the marina._

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

BROSE: Mills and Mance then went to go find their friends and make it to the marina safe and on time. They found Dunn in the woods, who was looking for Wellington. Mills proceeded to tell Dunn his fiancé was dead. When they had made it to the spot where Mills and Mance had found Wellington’s body, she was missing.

_[cuts to Mance interview]_

MANCE: I had found it weird that Henry wasn’t with Trish, but Abby assured me that they probably just got separated. I couldn’t shake the feeling though—I would never leave Abby alone in a situation like that.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

BROSE: Wellington’s body was found on the church alter where her and Dunn were to be wedded, still in her bridal gown.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: It was then that Wakefield attacked us—Jimmy, to be specific. Henry held me back and Jimmy yelled at me to get out. I heard the helicopter above us and started to run towards the marina to get help.

 

_[cuts to Mance interview]_

 

MANCE: As soon as Abby made it out the doors, Wakefield yelled at Henry that she was “getting away.” That’s when everything clicked into place… like an episode of NCIS, but more realistic. I managed to throw Wakefield off of me by lighting a flare that I took from the boathouse and escaping.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: I was trying to figure out where to best signal the helicopters with the flare Jimmy gave me when Henry caught up. He told me Wakefield had gotten Jimmy. He then asked me if I knew where we were supposed to meet the Coast Guards. And in that moment, I thought… When Jimmy and I had contacted the Coast Guard he said that he had instructed both Sully and Henry to go to the marina. And on top of that… Henry had said he hadn’t seen Sully when we found and asked him about it.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: According to Mills, Dunn had held a knife to her. But when he charged, he pushed her out of the way and stabbed Wakefield in the heart. Mills had tried to run away, but Dunn threw her to the ground, essentially knocking her out.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: The last thing I saw were the helicopters flying above us.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: Wakefield and Dunn had planted enough evidence in the church where it was initially believed by state police that Dunn, Mills, Sullivan, Wakefield, and Wellington had all died in a church fire. The case had seemed over and the handful of locals left on the other side of the island were immediately evacuated. However, Dunn had actually kidnapped Mills to live out his childhood fantasy with her. He also made Mance his captive, planning to have him sign a confession to being Wakefield’s accomplice before murdering him. Mance agreed to do it if he could see Mills one more time before his demise.

 

BROSE: Mills had secretly placed a nail from a picture off the wall in her mouth in which she gave to Mance through a kiss. Henry had lost his control and hit her, and she took him off guard by stabbing him in the foot with a screwdriver. She then ran away as Dunn chased her with his father’s boarding knife, giving Mance a chance to pick the locks of his bindings.

 

CRUSE: Dunn had cornered Mills, but he didn’t want to kill her for undisclosed reasons. He threw the boarding knife into the rocks off the ledge before Mance caught up and tackled him down there as well. Mills had run down to see if Mance was okay as Dunn snuck up behind her. She grabbed the boarding knife and turned around to face Dunn. She immediately killed him in self-defense.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

 

MILLS: I will never forget those few days. I had to watch everyone and everything I ever cared about get destroyed. And I had to kill the best friend I ever had.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ anchors]_

CRUSE: Images of Dunn’s post-mortem body will not be released to the press, and since he has no immediate family left, his body will be immediately transferred to the morgue followed by a private burial.

 

BROSE: When Mills and Mance had made a call back to the Coast Guard over the radio, they immediately rushed back to the island, followed by the FBI who then did an in depth investigation on the tragedy.

 

CRUSE: Evidence of death was found of Christopher Sullivan, John Wakefield, and Patricia Wellington, though it was claimed by Mills that she had found Patricia's dead body and watched Wakefield die, the evidence of their deaths being planted in the church. Post-mortem of the three bodies was difficult because of the effect of the church fire, but it was verified that the same knife was used to kill all three of them. That knife wound discovery was also connected to the knife wound that killed J.D. Dunn. With a little more investigation, the murder weapon was found at the house where Dunn took Mills with Dunn’s fingerprints all over it.

 

BROSE: The bodies of Joel Booth, Lucy Daramour, Deputy Garrett, Cole Harkin, Hunter Jennings, Patrick Lillis, and Ben Wellington were not found, but are presumed dead by the FBI. Mills and Mance each confirm that they saw both Harkin’s and Lillis’ dead bodies on separate occasions. Mills claims that she heard the other groomsmen saying Booth had gone back to the Washington, but there have been no traces of him ever leaving the island or reaching the mainland. She also says Daramour had been missing for a couple days with no word. Mills had heard Beth Barrington upset and worrying that Daramour hadn’t been answering her texts or calls.

 

CRUSE: A few people at the docks the day the party boat left said they could have sworn there was blood in the water upon its leaving.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

 

ALLEN: Cousin Ben had never made it onto the ship nor did he answer his phone when we tried calling. It may be possible he was killed before we ever even got to the island.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

CRUSE: Mills is not ready to disclose to the press why Dunn did what he did. She did say that Wakefield had a different approach to the situation, not knowing that Dunn was counter-plotting. Wakefield was training him to kill his friends, family, and ultimately, Mills. But for now, Dunn’s personal reasoning remains a mystery except to the state police, the FBI, her psychiatric doctor, and the survivors.

 

BROSE: Seattle detectives did a thorough background check on Dunn to see if there was any insight on his motives. They discovered that he was adopted by the Dunn family as a baby. His biological parents are Sarah Mills, Abby’s mother, and the one and only John Wakefield.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: I found out during the trip that my mother had had an affair with Wakefield when she was younger. She got pregnant and ran away from him after realizing how dangerous he was. I found Wakefield’s journal in Harkin’s bag, and he was really upset. He tracked her down to the island and killed her for it. For a while I thought I might’ve been Wakefield’s child.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

CRUSE: It had been released by her doctors that Mills had been diagnosed with acute stress disorder, a variation of PTSD, causing her numbness, detachment, muteness, derealization, depersonalization, and dissociative amnesia. This lasted for about a week a half. Now she is being treated for Comorbid PTSD and "survivor's guilt," also bringing on a case of nighttime terrors, causing insomnia, and panic disorder. She is being treated for the PTSD and the anxiety together, hence Comorbid. Mills, as well as Jimmy Mance, Shea Allen, and her daughter Madison Allen, are all being kept under close observation at West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital. They will individually be cleared once all posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms decrease to a mild degree. Here’s an interview with Dr. Carl Blackwell, the head doctor who is treating all four of the island survivors:

 

_[cuts to Blackwell interview]_

BLACKWELL: It is nearly impossible to come out of a calamity like this and not experience symptoms of mental health disorders to some degree. It may take weeks or even months for them to start being able to function on their own again without hurting themselves or others around them.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: We’ve all been struggling, but the upside is that we have each other. We all know exactly what the others have gone through, so we can definitely help each other through this. We’ve been told to talk about it, we’ve been told to let our feelings out. So the three adults decided “why not let people know the true story rather than some fiction version?” We’re letting almost everything out now, our lives during the murders…our lives under medical care now. We want people to at least catch a glimpse of understanding.

 

_[cuts to Blackwell interview]_

BLACKWELL: Madison is a very tough and strong-minded person for only being 9-years-old. She is experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder, but with the support of her mother, it’s not as severe as it could be for a girl who has experienced kidnapping and so much death in a short period of time. Some of her symptoms include fear, worry, sadness, anger, and aloneness despite the care she has. As a result of the trauma, she has clearly thought back to the time of tragedy thinking there were signs of what was going to happen. As a result, she is positive she will see these signs again if the trauma were to reoccur. She has also incorporated these events into her playtime—for example, she likes to draw John Wakefield and make her dolls murder one another, essentially reenacting the deaths she’s seen. These are not uncommon symptoms for children suffering with PTSD, but it will unquestionably last for a long period of time.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

ALLEN: Regardless of her problems right now, my daughter is so strong, and I am so proud of her. Sometimes she’s even the one to comfort me. The doctors say the effects of the island may last with her for years, but with support from Abby, Jimmy, and myself, she most likely won’t have to enter her teen years with impulsive or aggressive behavior.

 

_[cuts to Blackwell interview]_

BLACKWELL: Shea Allen is also experiencing Comorbid PTSD alongside depression and anxiety disorder. She has also been diagnosed with attachment disorder, not very commonly found in adults. This disorder was initiated the moment her daughter was forcefully taken from her during an already traumatic experience. She’s having trouble spending time away from Madison and trusting others with her daughter.

 

_[cuts to Allen interview]_

ALLEN: I would’ve never guessed something like this could happen, and it’s scary to think one moment your life is going so perfectly and the next you can lose everything you ever knew.

 

_[cuts to Blackwell interview]_

BLACKWELL: Jimmy Mance is struggling as well. His PTSD has also brought on BPD, or borderline personality disorder, and he is strongly prone to dysphoria. It’s hard for people suffering with BPD to get a full grip on their emotions, and it takes a while for them to get back to a baseline. Jimmy is currently feeling rejection and fear of abandonment while having paranoid thoughts when stressed and severe dissociation. It is common behavior for people with BPD to start substance or alcohol abuse, form an eating disorder, have unprotected or indiscriminate sex, induct reckless spending or driving, start self-harm, or even commit suicide. Since Jimmy’s symptoms are severe, we are keeping him medicated and under 24/7 watch for at least the next few weeks, maybe even months.

 

_[cuts to Mance interview]_

MANCE: It’s kind of hard to believe this could even happen. The island was my home, I grew up on it, lived through the first series of the Wakefield murders—how can I even stand to go back now? How could anyone stand to ever set foot on that island again?

 

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

CRUSE: We’ve had Dr. Blackwell also look into Henry Dunn’s mental state, before and during the execution of the killings. During her sessions, Mills has confided in Blackwell of Dunn’s reasoning behind the murders to help him create a diagnosis to better our understanding of how Dunn felt. His intentions, as stated before, have not been released to the press yet, but Blackwell has been able to come up with a decent indulgent of Dunn that he can share with us.

 

_[cuts to Blackwell interview]_

BLACKWELL: It was blatantly discovered that Henry was suffering from a mix of delusional disorder and what we call obsessive love, or obsessive relational progression. Delusional disorder is a serious mental illness involving psychosis, which is the inability to tell what is real from what is imagined. The main feature of this disorder is—of course—delusions, or the beliefs in something untrue. Delusions caused by delusional disorder usually involve the misinterpretation of perceptions or experiences, either not at all true, or in Henry’s case, highly exaggerated. This is where the obsessive love comes into play. Obsessive love is a hypothetical state in which one person feels an overwhelming obsessive desire to possess another person toward whom they feel a strong attraction, with an inability to accept failure or rejection. It is not officially classified as a mental disorder, but Dunn was experiencing a rather severe case of it as a derivation off of attachment disorder towards Miss Mills. There are four stages of obsessive relational progression defined by Dr. John D. Moore: attraction, then anxiousness, then obsession, then destruction. In this case, Henry’s destruction wasn’t aimed towards his self, but was executed towards others—in this case, murdering everyone and anyone who got in the way of him achieving his end goals.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

BROSE: FBI estimated that 29 people had died within the span of a few days. And they weren’t quick merciless deaths—they were gruesome. From impaling them with a boarding knife, to chopping them to bits, to forcefully hanging them, to throwing them off a bridge—Wakefield devastated.

 

_[cuts to Mills interview]_

MILLS: Wakefield liked to see the life drain out of his victims’ eyes. He thrived off their fear and hopelessness. He enjoyed their screams… And he loved the power.

 

_[cuts to KCPQ news anchors]_

 

CRUSE: What was supposed to be a heaven-sent unity quickly turned into hell-sent suffering for Wellington, Dunn, and their wedding guests. There will be a memorial service for the victims of Harper’s Island this Saturday at Union Church Seattle. Any and all are invited to come to pay their respects and pray for the fallen. Video camera footage was founded at the Candlewick hotel in Dunn’s suitcase, showing what he, the bride, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had to say while on the boat trip to the island.

 

_[cuts to Wellington clip]_

 

_PATRICIA WELLINGTON: Henry bear, baby face, I love you and can’t wait to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. Cheers!_

_[cuts to Sullivan clip]_

_CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN: Henry, Trish, whatever, you guys are getting married. That’s great. Have you seen these bridesmaids? I am going to get so much action at this wedding!_

_[cuts to Brooks clip]_

_DANNY BROOKS: Henry, Trish, congratulations. I am so happy for you. Y’know, I haven’t had a girlfriend in a while, but I hope maybe soon to turn that corner and settle down and make a commitment like you have. Henry, I’m proud of you, man._

_[cuts to Ross clip]_

_MALCOLM ROSS: Trish, Henry, congratulations, you guys look great together. Not as good as probably… Trish and I._

_[cuts to Booth clip]_

_JOEL BOOTH: Hey, um, congratulations, Trish, Henry. I’m really happy you guys are getting married. Not… not real great you had it on a boat, Henry. You know I don’t handle this kind of thing real well._

_[cuts to Carter clip]_

_CHLOE CARTER: Trish, you are so lucky! Henry’s so hot. You got to him before I did. I’m so pissed. I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding. I’m not gonna hit on your husband but, um, have such a great life together. I’m so happy for you._

_[cuts to Vandeusen clip]_

_CAL VANDEUSEN: Trish and Henry, I just wanted to say congratulations. I’m terribly excited for you and excited to be here and very grateful that you let me come. Um, I wish your wedding and all of that, um, just the best and I hope it lasts a very long time._

_[cuts to Mills clip]_

_ABBY MILLS: Okay. Uh, Henry and Trish, I, uh… I hate cameras, so I’m going to keep this really brief. Um, everything I have to say to you I’ve put in a little poem, which I will give to you later. And, um… yeah. You guys are great. That’s it._

_[cuts to Dunn clip]_

_HENRY DUNN: Hey babe. You’re probably sick of hearing it but… I love you. And I’m going to treat every moment with you as if it were my last. Let’s get married, huh? I’ll see you there._

_[fades to black]_


End file.
